Where do ethics apply?

September is Ethics month for PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and PRSSA (Student society of the same organization). As part of a discussion about ethics in our field, Susan Walton wrote a commentary for PR Tactics online called “1 a.m. ethics: Wrestling with those small, everyday choices that we face” in which she proposes that “Choosing between the easy thing and the right thing doesn’t always happen with the world looking on. Sometimes we make our most important ethical decisions at night when the only voice of persuasion is the whisper of our own conscience.” I thought it was intriguing that Walton challenged the traditional approach to a discussion of ethics that focuses on “the ‘big’ ethical decisions that could face us in the workplace”, such as covering up organizational wrongdoing and hiding the truth from stakeholders. What is your perspective on how ethics plays into professional conduct within the public relations and strategic communications field?

In chapter 5, Cutlip et al. state that public relations is built on the imperative of trust because “you trust the professional with information and access that often are withheld from even your closest friends and family…you entrust yourself and your possessions to the professional” (p. 145, 8th Ed.). How important is trust and credibility to a public relations professional?

Finally, an interesting question is why we should need an “ethics month” at all? Shouldn’t it be ethics year or none at all given the importance of ethical standards in any profession?

On a side note: if you are interested in reading further about PR History, then explore the PR Museum established in 1997 as the place to go to learn how ideas are developed for industry, education, and government, and how they have been applied to successful public relations programs since the PR industry was born.